TrueCar Racing's Shannon McIntosh Will be Sole Competitor Calling St. Petersburg Hometrack ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. - Sophomore USF2000 driver Shannon McIntosh is the only competitor scheduled to compete this weekend who will be calling the Streets of St. Petersburg her home racetrack. Long known as the home to the late two-time Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon, McIntosh and a slew of other drivers competing in 10 different races, will take to the course to begin practice Mar. 22 along St. Petersburg's beautiful downtown waterfront.
"I'm very excited as we head into one of my favorite events all year," said McIntosh, who opened her 2012 USF2000 season during the historic Twelve Hours of Sebring this past weekend with a double-header event. "Not only is this my adopted home track, but it's an amazing course. I am looking forward to continuing to improve and work with the Pabst Racing team. I am also looking forward to the Grand Prix After Party on Sunday at Push where I hope many people will come to help support the Dan Wheldon Family Trust."
INDYCAR began bringing fast cars and taking to the hairpin turns in St. Pete in 2005 and coincidentally, Wheldon was the winner in the IZOD IndyCar Series' first visit to the Tampa Bay area. While INDYCAR will celebrate their eighth appearance in St. Pete, McIntosh will be making just her second start on the Streets of St. Petersburg, following her rookie season in USF2000 in 2011.
McIntosh, a 22-year-old from Miamisburg, Ohio, took on the challenge of making the transition from a career destined for NASCAR to instead make plans to eventually compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. The tall order began when she joined INDYCAR's "Mazda Road to Indy" developmental ladder system in 2011 to begin learning formula car racing.
Continuing that learning curve in 2012, McIntosh returns to the USF2000 series for a second tour with a new team in Pabst Racing Services and a driver coach to help ease the transition. TrueCar, creators of the new car pricing information website TrueCar.com, is serving as McIntosh's primary sponsor as part of their "Women Empowered" initiative.
Contesting in two race events along with over 30 other scheduled competitors in USF2000 over the course of the weekend, McIntosh will be contending behind the wheel of her No. 18 blue and white Mazda with her first race scheduled for Sat., Mar. 24 at 12:10 p.m. EDT and her second race on Sun., Mar. 25 at 9:15 a.m. EDT. She will close out the weekend by hosting The Grand Prix After Party at PUSH Ultra Lounge, with proceeds to benefit the Dan Wheldon Family Trust.
In addition to TrueCar, additional racing support on McIntosh's No. 18 program is being provided by: CLEARBook, Fusion 1560 City Apartment Homes, TAG Heuer timepieces, Arai Helmets, Alpinestars, CrossFit9, Anytime Fitness St. Pete, U! Creative, and YogaBlu Studio.
Sanctioned by INDYCAR, the USF2000 National Championship, presented by Cooper Racing Tires and powered by Mazda, is one of three series of INDYCAR's "Mazda Road to Indy" ladder system and the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver program.
For more information, please visit www.ShannonMcIntosh.com or www.USF2000.com.
About Shannon McIntosh:
Shannon McIntosh is a 22-year-old TrueCar-sponsored autoracing driver who competes in INDYCAR's 'Mazda Road to Indy' USF2000 National Championship Series, an important open-wheel stepping-stone to a career in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. McIntosh began her racing career at age 5, and in 2011, was named as one of SEVENTEEN magazine's five "Pretty Amazing" girls. Tech giant, Mashable.com, listed her among a taste-making group of seven "Must-Follow Athletes on Social Media" while TAG Heuer timepieces depicts McIntosh in their "Time for Rebels" campaign. With over 17 years of racing experience under her belt ranging from USAC midgets to formula cars, McIntosh is the recipient of the 2006 "DARF Asphalt Driver of the Year" in the USAC Ford Focus Midget Series as well being awarded the Kara Hendrick Memorial Scholarship while attending the Lyn St. James Driver Development Program. McIntosh has been a guest or profiled on a variety of platforms including, MTV's The Seven, MTV News, E! News, SportsIllustrated.com, USA Today, Just Jared, Jr., ESPN.com, AOL.com, Girl's Life Magazine, and TLC's Sarah Palin's Alaska, among others. For more information, please visit, http://www.shannonmcintosh.com, http://www.twitter.com/shannon_mac, or http://www.facebook.com/shannmcintosh.
About TrueCar, Inc.:
TrueCar, Inc. is an automotive solutions provider focused on changing how cars are sold by providing a significantly better customer experience while helping qualified dealer partners gain incremental market share and reduce costs. TrueCar is a visual publisher of new car transaction data. TrueCar price reports help both dealers and consumers agree on the parameters of a fair deal by providing an accurate, comprehensive and simple understanding of what others actually paid recently for an identically-equipped vehicle both locally and nationally. TrueCar works with a national network of dealers that provides a no-hassle car buying experience, and in many cases a highly competitive upfront price, to assist some of the nation's largest and most well respected membership and service organizations to meet the auto buying needs of their members and customers. TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA and has offices in San Francisco, CA and Austin, TX. With 131 percent annual growth since 2006, TrueCar has connected hundreds of thousands of consumers with dealers nationwide resulting in the sale of over 400,000 vehicles and is developing a suite of products and services centered on radical clarity through the comprehensive analysis of market data and information. You can follow TrueCar on Twitter and become a fan of TrueCar on Facebook. For more information, please visit www.TrueCar.com.